Physical activity not only helps to bring more blood and oxygen to the brain , which is crucial for its optimal functioning.

But, in addition, there is research that shows that sport is associated with a greater number of NK cells; lymphocytes that are part of the immune system and that defend the body not only from the invasion of viruses and bacteria, but also attack and prevent the proliferation of cancer cells when a tumor appears.

Also, there is growing evidence showing that going for a run helps significantly to combat depression.

The advantages of having a gym in the office

Sustained aerobic effort for more than 15 or 20 minutes a day blocks the emergence of negative thoughts, and allows us to increase the ability to enjoy the little things.

The opposite is a condition known as anhedonia, whose sufferers present a pathological difficulty in experiencing pleasure. This symptom, together with hopelessness and sadness, are the most frequent signs in depression.

Having reached this point, it is necessary to dispel an old myth widely held among people that we only use 10% of our brain potential. That’s false, we use 100%. What is true is that we don’t use it all at once.

Most of the tasks that the average administrative employee performs in the office are related to organization, planning, negotiating with others, problem solving and decision making. To do this, we use the prefrontal areas of the brain, which are located above the eyes and behind the forehead. These areas have the highest energy consumption of the whole brain, so when we work a lot, it is normal to be exhausted at the end of the day, and I am not talking about physical tiredness, but mental exhaustion : the feeling of having your head “burned”.

Taking the focus too long on tasks with high cognitive demand consumes most of our resources in terms of fuel or energy.

Activating our neurons

It is important to note that while we use the prefrontal cortex, the neurons in the rest of the brain remain comparatively inactive. Let’s remember what we said before: we never use the whole brain at once.

On the other hand, when we do physical activity we need to move large muscle groups, which involves the recruitment of thousands of neurons from the premotor and motor areas of the brain, and the inhibition of prefrontal areas, in what could be defined as a true dynamic of mental economy.

Research shows that a break during work hours for some physical activity, such as walking on the treadmill, helps revitalize the thinking part of the brain.

It is a phenomenon similar to that which occurs during sleep, where the brain resets itself and makes a tune-up so that we can continue with our life the next day.
Of course, not all companies have or can incorporate a gym in their facilities, but fortunately it is not necessary either. It is enough to introduce a period of aerobic exercise such as brisk walking for 30 minutes towards the middle of the day.

As the brain is busy moving muscles, it allows the prefrontal areas to recover; the batteries are “charged” , which then results in greater mental efficiency for the rest of the day.

Benefits also for productivity

There are still people within the organizational world who see this as a real waste of time, but it is quite the opposite: it is estimated that the benefit is translated into about 30% more productive and quality time per working day .

Experiments have also shown that aerobic activity performed several hours after mental activity significantly improves memory and overall cognitive function, up to 48 hours after exercise.

Aerobic activity helps us not only to improve our mood and balance , but also seems to have the potential to improve cognitive function: It literally makes us smarter. All compelling reasons to seriously consider taking a spoonful of cardiovascular exercise during the morning, during office hours.

It serves as a prophylaxis and makes it much easier for us to cope with the problems and complications that arise during the day.